NICK HOWSON: The bowling efforts of Marizanne Kapp, Alice Capsey and Tash Farrant underpinned last season's inaugural title win, but this season the onus has shifted
When Tash Farrant was ruled out for the remainder of the 2022 summer, it was not just a blow to her international aspirations. Oval Invincibles were denied access to The Hundred's leading wicket-taker from 2021 and an elusive left-arm seam option.
No player eclipsed the 18 scalps Farrant claimed last summer, a return which forced her back into the England reckoning. Often releasing wide of the crease, she bowled with good pace, regularly tested the stumps and beat batters in the air.
It was bold when Invincibles chose not to acquire a direct replacement for the competition and instead rely on the supporting cast to underpin their campaign.
Their off-season recruitment centrally surrounded bolstering a batting line-up that failed to breach 140 last season. Suzie Bates represented the marquee overseas addition alongside Lauren Winfield-Hill and Aylish Cranstone to transform the top order.
After a meek batting performance during their title win, they've upped the ante in 2022. On three occasions they have passed 140 and with a place in the Lord's final in their midst smashed a tournament-best 163 for 2 against Manchester Originals at Old Trafford.
Sophia Smale continued her impressive tournament with two wickets (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)
Of the four players to have recorded 200 runs or more in the women's Hundred, two are in the Invincibles ranks. Bates (229 runs, 150.65 strike rate and Winfield-Hill (214, 138.96) head into the final on Saturday (September 3) with only Laura Wolvaardt ahead of them in the standings.
New Zealander Bates added 79 not out to scores of 46, 15, 41, 17 and 31 with a knock full of class. She had time to select her shots, pick her spots and put Originals to the sword.
The pair have already surpassed the run tally that all but one of last season's squad managed (Dane van Niekerk's 259 was the best of the tournament) and they'll fancy setting a new benchmark.
That is reflective of an explosive women's competition including 94 sixes in 24 games, comparing favourably against the 91 hit in the 32-match tournament last year. There have been nine scores in excess of 150, after just two in the first edition, and five second-innings totals trumping last season's best.
Ominously for Southern Brave and Trent Rockets, who will scrap for the right to face Invincibles at Lord's in The Ageas Bowl Eliminator, is their opponents have spread what wickets they have taken across the team. None have reached double figures or are inside the top five for the competition. It has been a team effort.
Lizelle Lee's 64 proved inconsequential (Ashley Allen/Getty Images)
Sophia Smale and Eva Gray have seven, Capsey and Mady Villiers have half a dozen, Ryana MacDonald-Gay has taken five while Shabnim Ismail and Kapp have three each.
On the South African contingent, Bates' imperious form gives Invincibles coach Jonathan Batty a tough decision to make for the final. Kapp and 2021 MVP Van Niekerk have been rotated and one will have a watching brief at the self-styled home of cricket, while the other aims for successive final wins.
Kapp is the most likely to get the nod, given her contributions with bat and ball. Her partner has made a slow return from several months out with an ankle injury, though she does offer the leg-spin option that has proven extremely successful. Having someone to match up with Amanda-Jade Wellington or Alana King is certainly a consideration.
It wasn't a perfect fielding display in an Originals chase which had all the drama sucked out of it once their top-three hopes had gone. That said, ironing out the miss-fields, some average bowling from Capsey and a missed stumping from Winfield-Hill (who struggled with a back issue) will be key when silverware is on the line. That said, they now have two days off to sit back and watch the others sweat.
This Invincibles outfit fills you with confidence. They seem to have all the answers and solutions. Prising the title away from them this weekend is as tough a task as they come.
Subscribe to The Cricketer for exclusive content every day: The inside track on England's Test tour with George Dobell in Pakistan, award-winning analysis, breaking news and interviews and the only place for in-depth county coverage all year round. Plus: An ad-free app experience at your fingertips. Subscribe to thecricketer.com today for just £1.
Welcome to www.thecricketer.com - the online home of the world’s oldest cricket magazine. Breaking news, interviews, opinion and cricket goodness from every corner of our beautiful sport, from village green to national arena.